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Interview

Richard Vreeland p3

Richard Vreeland, also known as Disasterpeace, talks about the importance of looking after your own musical interests as well as those of the client when creating soundtracks..

READERSVOICE.COM: Will you keep working on soundtracks to games, like you did with FEZ and movies like Under the Silver Lake, or will you work increasingly on personal projects?

DISASTERPEACE: I would like to work increasingly on personal projects, but I’m sure I’ll always have at least one toe in that door. Part of the personal work is creating time and space to reevaluate my path, too.

RV: It was interesting hearing how you were inspired by games and then wrote the music which was then cut to fit the games. And also how you thought people should write music they liked. Do you think composers should kind of not worry too much about what the listener or even the client might like?

DP: I suppose there is some level of worrying that is appropriate, but I try to do as little of it as possible for my own wellbeing. Ultimately you want your client to be happy, but you have to look out for your own interests, too. I think that’s something I bring to my work. The willingness to walk away if it’s not working out for you and knowing whether you need to weather the storm or not is an important skill. When doing commissions there’s generally some level of compromise, or overlap. You have to figure out what that is, between your own needs and desires, and that of the client.

RV: Are you still interested in graphic design and creating games, or would it be too much to take on?

DP: I’m still interested in both. I enjoy making album covers for my projects from time to time, many of which you can find on my website. I also built my website from scratch and maintain it as a hobby, and will occasionally help out friends and family with graphics for events and things if they need it. On the games front, I would love to develop a game. I have some ideas, I’m just waiting for the appropriate timing.

– Visit disasterpeace.com for more info on Richard Vreeland. See also itunes to see his range of albums, and to listen to some of his excellent and diverse music, like Atebite and the Warring Nations; Rise of the Obsidian Interstellar; FEZ; Hyper Light Drifter; Disasters for Piano; It Follows, and heaps more. His music also is for sale on bandcamp and it can be heard on youtube.
– copyright readersvoice.com